Feb. 3, 2010
By Kristy Murphy / Horizon League communications department
Green Bay has set the standard for excellence in Horizon League women's basketball. But what is it that makes the program so successful year in and year out? Is it the fact that the program has such a strong tradition? Or do they thrive simply because of the names on the back of their jerseys?
Regardless, one thing is certain -- winning is a part of the deeply-rooted Green Bay women's basketball history.
Last season marked the 32nd consecutive winning season and 10th straight 20-win campaign for Green Bay. In 2008-09, the Phoenix also became the first team in League history to go 18-0 in conference action.
Green Bay had just completed the program's first undefeated Horizon League season two years earlier, joining Notre Dame (1989-90) as the only women's basketball teams to go 16-0 in conference action.
In fact, during the last 11 seasons, the Phoenix has had more than two conference losses only once.
"I think the expectation to win is extremely important," said Matt Bollant, who is just the third head coach in the program's 36-year history. "One of the things that helped me is believing that good things are going to happen. I said right away I am going to worry about what I can control. I can't control what the media expects or what the fans expect, but I can control working hard every day."
Before losing to Loyola on Jan. 21, #17/14 Green Bay ran off an all-time Horizon League record 34 consecutive regular-season wins. That included notable victories over Wisconsin, Marquette and 21st-ranked DePaul.
The Phoenix also registered an all-time League best with 35 straight regular-season conference victories. That streak began in January 2008.
But it takes more than long-standing tradition to be successful. It takes dedication and hard work. If winning were easy, everyone would do it.
The commitment of the players and the coaching staff is a crucial component. The players strive to carry on the team's winning tradition and are dedicated to ensure the legacy continues.
"The main reason I came to Green Bay was the tradition and how successful the program has been in the past," said junior Kayla Tetschlag. "I just wanted to be a part of the strong tradition they have here."
Green Bay is also loaded with young talent, which means the tradition will carry on. In fact, the team has only four upper classmen.
Of the 10 freshmen and sophomores on this year's roster, sophomores Julie Wojta and Hannah Quilling, and freshmen Sarah Eichler and Adrian Ritchie have played an important role. All have averaged over 18 minutes per game. And Wojta ranks among League leaders in a number of offensive categories, including second in scoring with 15.3 points per game.
The older players, Bollant said, pass down the values of the program and make it a priority to lead by example. This is how they work toward maintaining long-term success of the program.
"The past couple of years I learned a lot from the older girls and [took] in everything that I could," said Tetschlag. "This year, I have become more of a vocal leader and I am just leading by example."
Even though the Green Bay women's basketball program has sustained success in the regular season, it is still looking to break through in NCAA play. Since 1998, the Phoenix has lost in the first-round of the NCAA Tournament in six of its eight appearances. That included a first-round loss to sixth-seeded LSU in 2009, which marked Bollant's first opportunity as a head coach in the NCAA Tournament.
Bollant and Tetschlag both reflected on last year's disappointing ending in order to learn from that loss. They hope those lessons learned will make the team better prepared this March, assuming a postseason berth is in its future.
"Don't give them too much credit for the name on the front of their jersey," said Bollant, when asked about those lessons. "Control the things that you can control."
Tags: Green Bay - Women's Basketball
